U.S. patent application number 13/709854 was filed with the patent office on 2013-06-13 for electrical connector.
This patent application is currently assigned to ACES ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is Aces Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Shin-Way LIN, Yuan-Huang LIU, Hao-Jan TUAN.
Application Number | 20130149883 13/709854 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48572374 |
Filed Date | 2013-06-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130149883 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIN; Shin-Way ; et
al. |
June 13, 2013 |
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
Abstract
An electrical connector includes a connector body including a
holder base and positioning members mounted in respective vertical
insertion slots in the holder base, conducting terminals positioned
in the holder base with respective mounting portions thereof
fastened to the positioning members, press members respectively
fastened to the positioning members and suspending above the
conducting terminals for holding down a flexible printed circuit
board on front contact portions of the conducting terminals, and a
swivel cover coupled to the holder base and the press members and
biasable relative to the holder base and the press member between a
horizontal close position and a vertical open position.
Inventors: |
LIN; Shin-Way; (Jhongli
City, TW) ; TUAN; Hao-Jan; (Jhongli City, TW)
; LIU; Yuan-Huang; (Taoyuan City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Aces Electronics Co., Ltd.; |
Jhongli City |
|
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
ACES ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Jhongli City
TW
|
Family ID: |
48572374 |
Appl. No.: |
13/709854 |
Filed: |
December 10, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/266 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 12/88 20130101;
H01R 12/79 20130101; H01R 13/62933 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
439/266 |
International
Class: |
H01R 13/629 20060101
H01R013/629 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 13, 2011 |
TW |
100146005 |
Claims
1. An electrical connector, comprising: a connector body comprising
a holder base, said holder base comprising an upright base frame, a
horizontal bottom panel forwardly extended from a bottom side of
said base frame, an accommodation open chamber surrounded by said
upright base frame and said horizontal bottom panel and a plurality
of vertical insertion slots cut through opposing front and back
sides of said upright base frame, and a plurality of positioning
members respectively mounted in said vertical insertion slots of
said holder base; a plurality of conducting terminals respectively
fastened to said positioning members in said vertical insertion
slots of said holder base and positioned on said horizontal bottom
panel in said accommodation open chamber, each said conducting
terminal comprising a mounting portion fastened to one said
positioning member, a front contact portion forwardly extended from
the mounting portion of the respective conducting terminal and
positioned on said horizontal bottom panel of said holder base of
said connector body and a rear bonding portion backwardly extended
from the mounting portion of the respective conducting terminal and
suspending outside of said upright base frame of said holder base
of said connector body; a plurality of press members respectively
fastened to said positioning members above said conducting
terminals, each said press member comprising a mounting portion
fastened to one said positioning member, a front pressure arm
forwardly extended from the mounting portion of the respective
press member and a smoothly arched locating notch located at a
front bottom side of said front pressure arm; and a swivel cover
coupled to said holder base of said connector body and said press
members and biasable relative to said holder base and said press
member between a horizontal close position and a vertical open
position, said swivel cover comprising a front base panel, a
plurality of elongated slots cut through opposing top and bottom
sides of said front base panel in a parallel manner and
respectively coupled to said front pressure arms of said press
members and a plurality of axles respectively and transversely
disposed in a front side of each of said elongated slots and
respectively coupled to the smoothly arched locating notches of
said press members.
2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
press members are selected from the material group of metal and
plastics.
3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
said press member further comprises a friction portion raised from
a top side of the mounting portion thereof and forced into friction
engagement with a peripheral wall of the respective vertical
insertion slot of said holder base of said connector body.
4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
said conducting terminal further comprises a through hole cut
through opposing left and right sides of the mounting portion
thereof; each said press member further comprises a through hole
cut through opposing left and right sides of the mounting portion
thereof; each said positioning member comprises a horizontal
partition plate, opposing top and bottom open chambers
symmetrically defined at opposing top and bottom sides relative to
said horizontal partition plate for receiving one said press member
and one said conducting terminal, and two locating rods
respectively disposed in said open chambers and respectively
fastened to the through hole of one said press member and the
through hole of one said conducting terminal.
5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein said
conducting terminals have respective top sides of the respective
mounting portions thereof respectively stopped against respective
bottom sides of the respective horizontal partition plates of said
positioning members; said press members have respective bottom
sides of the respective mounting portions thereof respectively
stopped against respective top sides of the respective horizontal
partition plates of said positioning members.
6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
positioning members are molded on the mounting portions of said
conducting terminals and the mounting portions of said press
members by insert molding.
7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
said conducting terminal further comprises a protrusion located at
a front top side of the front contact portion thereof.
8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
holder base of said connector body further comprises two horizontal
shafts respectively forwardly extended from said base frame at two
opposite lateral sides relative to said horizontal bottom panel,
and a sliding groove located at an inner side of each of said two
horizontal shafts and facing toward the accommodation open chamber;
said swivel cover further comprises two pivot rods respectively
extended from two opposite lateral sides of said front base panel
thereof and respectively coupled to the sliding grooves at said
horizontal shafts of said holder base of said connector body.
9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
holder base further comprises a plurality of terminal grooves
located at a top wall of said horizontal bottom panel and
respectively forwardly extended from respective bottom ends of said
vertical insertion slots.
Description
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan
patent application number 100146005, filed on Dec. 13, 2011.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to electrical connector
technology and more particularly, to an electrical connector for
flexible printed circuit board application, which effectively
reduces high frequency interference.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Following fast development of computer, network and
electronic information technologies, various advanced electronic
devices and systems are well developed and widely used for
different applications. Further, it is the market trend to create
electronic devices having light, thin, short and small
characteristics. In consequence, circuit board electronic
components must be made extremely strong, small and precise.
Further, many different electrical connectors may be used in an
electronic apparatus to connect different components and parts to a
circuit board for signal transmission. Designing an electrical
connector for signal transmission must consider the factors of
signal transmission capacity and body size miniaturization.
Electrical connectors for FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit)
application are then created. Electrical connectors for FPC
application have the characteristics of large amount of conducting
terminals and low profile. These electrical connectors are
intensively used in computers and related peripheral equipments for
high frequency signal transmission. However, because these
electrical connectors have a high pin count, interferences
(statistical interference, electromagnetic interference, impedance
matching, noise interference, cross-talk interference) may occur
during transmission of a high frequency signal if the pins
(conducting terminals) are curved.
[0006] Taiwan Patent Number: M304148 discloses an electrical
connector entitled "Electrical Connector for Flexible Printed
Circuit Board". According to this design, as shown in FIGS. 7-9, a
press member C is inserted into a front opening A1 of a housing A
to let top arms B1 and bottom contact portions B2 of respective
conducting terminals B be engaged into respective notches C3 of the
press member C and positioned in the bottom side of the front
opening A1 of the housing A respectively. At this time, rear
bonding portions B3 of the conducting terminals B suspend outside
the housing A for bonding to an external mainboard, and respective
positioning points C4 in the notches C3 of the press member C are
respectively positioned in respective bottom grooves B11 of the top
arms B1 of respective conducting terminals B. Thereafter, support
members D are respectively inserted into respective mounting
portions A2 of the housing A to support respective support arms C2
of the press member C, holding down the positioning points C4 of
the press member C in the bottom grooves B11 of the respective
conducting terminals B. At this time, press portions C5 of the
press member C are kept between the top arms B1 and bottom contact
portions B2 of the conducting terminals B. Thus, the press member C
can be turned relative to the housing A between an open position
and a close position and will not fall out of the housing A.
[0007] When connecting the electrical connector to a flexible
printed circuit board E, attach the support arms C2 of the press
member C to the respective support members D, and then move an
operating portion C1 of the press member C to bias smoothly arched
surfaces C21 of the support arms C2 relative to the respective
support members D from horizontal to vertical while keeping the
positioning points C4 of the press member C in the bottom grooves
B11 of the respective conducting terminals B, and then insert the
flexible printed circuit board E into the gap between the top arms
B1 and bottom contact portions B2 of the conducting terminals B,
and then turn the press member C backwardly from vertical to
horizontal to force the press portions C5 of the press member C
against the flexible printed circuit board E, enabling the flexible
printed circuit board E to be clamped between the press portions C5
of the press member C and respective protrusions B21 of the bottom
contact portions B2 of the conducting terminals B. Thus, the
flexible printed circuit board E and the conducting terminals B are
electrically conducted. Subject to the design of the smoothly
arched surfaces C21 of the support arms C2, the press member C can
be smoothly biased relative to the respective support members D
between the horizontal close position and the vertical open
position. Further, by means of using the support members D to
support the support arms C2 of the press member C, the positioning
points C4 of the press member C are positively kept in the bottom
grooves B11 of the respective conducting terminals B.
[0008] However, according to the aforesaid prior art design, the
conducting terminals B have a roughly C-shaped profile where the
top arms B1 respectively extend from the respective bottom contact
portions B2 of the conducting terminals B without contacting the
flexible printed circuit board E. During application, high
frequency signal is transmitted through the flexible printed
circuit board E and the bottom contact portions B2 and bonding
portions B3 of the conducting terminals B to the mainboard. The
branched top arms B1 tend to cause a skin effect, limiting the
cross-sectional conducting terminal area available to carry
alternating electron flow, increasing the resistance of the
conducting terminals above what the conducting terminals would
normally be for direct current. In consequence, signal transmission
bandwidth and quality may not reach the designed standards,
affecting normal functioning of the electronic device (computer or
network equipment).
[0009] Therefore, it is desirable to provide an electrical
connector for high frequency application that eliminates the
aforesaid problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention has been accomplished under the
circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the
present invention to provide an electrical connector, which is
practical for use with a flexible printed circuit board for high
frequency application, facilitates installation and effectively
reduces noises during application.
[0011] To achieve this and other objects of the present invention,
an electrical connector comprises a connector body comprising a
holder base and positioning members mounted in respective vertical
insertion slots in the holder base, conducting terminals positioned
in the holder base with respective mounting portions thereof
fastened to the positioning members, press members respectively
fastened to the positioning members and suspending above the
conducting terminals for holding down a flexible printed circuit
board on front contact portions of the conducting terminals, and a
swivel cover coupled to the holder base and the press members and
biasable relative to the holder base and the press member between a
horizontal close position and a vertical open position.
[0012] Using the positioning members to hold the conducting
terminals and the press members in place eliminates the problem of
skin effect and enables the swivel cover to be turned smoothly
between the horizontal close position and the vertical open
position without imparting much pressure to the press members and
the flexible printed circuit board, and therefore the electrical
connector avoids noise generation and statistic interference and
damage to the upright base frames of the holder bass of the
connector body.
[0013] Further, the positioning members are molded on the mounting
portions of the conducting terminals and the mounting portions of
the press members by insert molding.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is an oblique top partial elevational view of an
electrical connector in accordance with the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a partial exploded view of the electrical
connector in accordance with the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 corresponds to FIG. 2 when viewed from another
angle.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a partial schematic elevational applied view of
the present invention, illustrating the swivel cover lifted to the
vertical open position before insertion of a flexible printed
circuit board.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of FIG. 4.
[0019] FIG. 6 corresponds to FIG. 5, illustrating the flexible
printed circuit board inserted into the accommodation open chamber
of the holder base of the connector body and the swivel cover
closed.
[0020] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of an electrical connector
according to the prior art.
[0021] FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of the prior art electrical
connector, illustrating the press member opened and a flexible
printed circuit board partially inserted into the front opening of
the housing.
[0022] FIG. 9 corresponds to FIG. 8, illustrating the printed
circuit board installed and the press member closed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a part of an electrical
connector in accordance with the present invention is shown. The
electrical connector comprises a connector body 1, a set of
conducting terminals 2, a set of press members 3, and a swivel
cover 4.
[0024] The connector body 1 comprises a holder base 11, and a
plurality of positioning members 12. The holder base 11 comprises
an upright base frame 111, a horizontal bottom panel 112 forwardly
extended from the bottom side of the upright base frame 11, an
accommodation open chamber 10 surrounded by the upright base frame
111 and the horizontal bottom panel 112, a plurality of vertical
insertion slots 115 cut through opposing front and back sides of
the upright base frame 111, a plurality of openings 113 located at
the front side of the upright base frame 111 near its top side and
respectively disposed in communication with the vertical insertion
slots 115, two elongated ribs 1152 respectively located on the
opposing top and bottom walls of each of the vertical insertion
slots 115 and extending in direction toward the accommodation open
chamber 10, two sliding ways 1151 defined in each of the opposing
top and bottom walls of each of the vertical insertion slots 115 at
two opposite lateral sides relative to the respective elongated rib
1152, a plurality of beveled guide surface 1153 respectively
located at opposing lateral sidewalls of each of the vertical
insertion slots 115 and abutted to the respective sliding ways
1151, a plurality of terminal grooves 1121 located at the top wall
of the horizontal bottom panel 112 and respectively forwardly
extended from the respective bottom ends of the vertical insertion
slots 115, two horizontal shafts 114 respectively forwardly
extended from the base frame 111 at two opposite lateral sides
relative to the horizontal bottom panel 112, and a sliding groove
1141 located at an inner side of each of the two horizontal shafts
114 and facing toward the accommodation open chamber 10. The
positioning members 12 are respectively mounted in the vertical
insertion slots 115, each comprising a horizontal partition plate
122, opposing top and bottom open chambers 120 symmetrically
defined at opposing top and bottom sides relative to the horizontal
partition plate 122, and two locating rods 121 respectively
disposed in the open chambers 120. Further, the positioning members
12 can be made of an electrically insulative plastic material.
[0025] The conducting terminals 2 each comprise a mounting portion
21, a through hole 211 cut through opposing left and right of the
mounting portion 21, a front contact portion 22 forwardly extended
from the mounting portion 21 and positioned in one respective
terminal groove 1121 of the horizontal bottom panel 112 of the
holder base 11 of the connector body 1, a protrusion 221 located at
a front top side of the front contact portion 22, and a rear
bonding portion 23 backwardly extended from the mounting portion 21
and inserted through one respective vertical insertion slot 115 to
the outside of the upright base frame 111 of the holder base 11 of
the connector body 1.
[0026] The press members 3 each comprise a mounting portion 31
mountable in one respective vertical insertion slot 115 of the
holder base 11 of the connector body 1, a through hole 311 cut
through opposing left and right sides of the mounting portion 31, a
friction portion 312 raised from the top side of the mounting
portion 31 and forced into friction engagement with the peripheral
wall of the respective vertical insertion slot 115 of the holder
base 11 of the connector body 1, a front pressure arm 32 forwardly
extended from the mounting portion 31, and a smoothly arched
locating notch 321 located at a front bottom side of the front
pressure arm 32. Further, the press members 3 can be selectively
made out of a metal or plastic material.
[0027] The swivel cover 4 comprises a front base panel 411, a
plurality of elongated slots 42 cut through opposing top and bottom
sides of the front base panel 411 in a parallel manner, a plurality
of axles 41 respectively and transversely disposed in a front side
of each of the elongated slots 42 and axially aligned in line, and
an operating portion 43 backwardly extended from the front base
panel 41, and two pivot rods 44 respectively extended from two
opposite lateral sides of the front base panel 41.
[0028] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 and FIG. 4 again, when assembling
the electrical connector, couple the through holes 211 of the
mounting portion 21 of the conducting terminals 2 and the through
holes 311 of the mounting portion 31 of the press members 3 to the
locating rods 121 in the top and bottom open chambers 120 of the
positioning members 12 to let the respective top edges of the
mounting portions 21 of the conducting terminals 2 and the
respective bottom edges of the mounting portions 31 of the press
members 3 be respectively stopped against the opposing top and
bottom sides of the horizontal partition plates 122 of the
positioning members 12, and then insert the front contact portions
22 of the conducting terminals 2 and the front pressure arm 32 of
the press members 3 with the positioning members 12 into the
respective vertical insertion slots 115 of the holder base 11 of
the connector body 1 to let the front contact portions 22 of the
conducting terminals 2 be respectively positioned in the terminal
groove 1121 of the horizontal bottom panel 112 of the holder base
11 of the connector body 1 and the front pressure arm 32 of the
press members 3 suspend in the accommodation open chamber 10 of the
connector body 1. By means of the beveled guide surfaces 1153, the
positioning members 12 can be smoothly guided into the respective
sliding ways 1151 of the holder base 11 of the connector body 1 in
the respective vertical insertion slots 115. At this time, the
friction portions 312 of the press members 3 are respectively
forced into friction engagement with the peripheral walls of the
respective vertical insertion slots 115. Thereafter, insert the
swivel cover 4 into the accommodation open chamber 10 of the holder
base 11 of the connector body 1 to couple the two pivot rods 44 of
the swivel cover 4 to the respective sliding grooves 1141 at the
two horizontal shafts 114 of the holder base 11 of the connector
body 1 and to have the smoothly arched locating notches 321 of the
press members 3 be respectively coupled to the axles 41 of the
swivel cover 4 in the respective elongated slots 42. Thus, the
swivel cover 4 can be turned up and down relative to the holder
base 11 of the connector body 1 within a predetermined angle, for
example, 90.degree. angle.
[0029] According to the present preferred embodiment, the
conducting terminals 2, the press members 3 and the positioning
members 12 are separately made and then assembled together and then
mounted in the holder base 11 of the connector body 1.
Alternatively, each positioning member 12 can be molded on the
mounting portion 21 of one respective conducting terminal 2 and the
mounting portion 31 of one respective press member 3 by insert
molding.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4-6 again, when installing a
flexible printed circuit board 5 in the electrical connector, move
the operating portion 43 to turn the swivel cover 4 relative to the
holder base 11 of the connector body 1 from a horizontal close
position shown in FIG. 1 to a vertical open position shown in FIG.
4, and then insert the flexible printed circuit board 5 into the
accommodation open chamber 10 of the holder base 11 of the
connector body 1 above the front contact portion 22 of the
conducting terminals 2, and then turn the swivel cover 4 from the
vertical open position back to the horizontal close position to
press the bottom wall of the front base panel 411 of the swivel
cover 4 on the flexible printed circuit board 5, enabling the
flexible printed circuit board 5 to be sandwiched between the front
base panel 411 of the swivel cover 4 and the protrusions 221 at the
front contact portions 22 of the conducting terminals 2. Thus, the
conducting terminals 2 and the flexible printed circuit board 5 are
electrically conducted.
[0031] According to the present invention, the separated design of
the conducting terminals 2 and the press members 3 eliminates the
problem of skin effect as seen in the prior art design, avoiding
noise generation and statistic interference. Further, the use of
the positioning members 12 to couple the mounting portions 21 of
the respective conducting terminals 2 and the mounting portions 31
of the respective press members 3 enables the swivel cover 4 to be
turned smoothly between the horizontal close position and the
vertical open position without imparting much pressure to the press
members 3 and the flexible printed circuit board 5, avoiding damage
to the upright base frame 111 of the holder base 11 of the
connector body 1 and the peripheral walls of the vertical insertion
slots 115. Further, this coupling design also facilitates
installation.
[0032] Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been
described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention
is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
* * * * *